
A trophy game returns, a long-time rival is missing and there’s a first-time regular-season opponent on the 2025 Jackson County Central football schedule.
Also for the first time ever, JCC will play each of the other six teams in its section during the regular season.
With seven teams in Section 3AA this fall, that leaves two dates for teams outside of the section.
Here’s a look at some scheduling notes for the reigning state Class 2A champion Huskies.
The paddle game returns
After two years off, the “Battle for the Paddle” resumes as JCC will close out the regular season at Windom on Wednesday, Oct. 15.
The teams have not met since 2022.
The Eagles played a Class 1A schedule in the regular season the last two years. Windom was 3-7 in 2023 and did win its quarterfinal round game at Pipestone and was 4-5 last year, losing at Redwood Valley in the quarterfinals.
Since becoming a school district in 1997, Jackson County Central leads the series with Windom 28-4 and has won 18 straight, a streak that started in 2009. The Eagles’ last win was in the Section 3AA quarterfinals in 2008, which is Windom’s lone postseason win over JCC in six meetings.
Here are the scores in the Jackson County Central-Windom series:
1997: Jackson County Central 27, Windom 0
1998: Jackson County Central 22, Windom 7
1999: Windom 34, Jackson County Central 27
2000: Jackson County Central 42, Windom 14
2001: Jackson County Central 20, Windom 15
2002: Jackson County Central 63, Windom 27
2003: Jackson County Central 27, Windom 6
2004: Windom 28, Jackson County Central 21
2005: Windom 55, Jackson County Central 13
2006: Jackson County Central 28, Windom 14
2007: Jackson County Central 45, Windom 21; Jackson County Central 40, Windom 7 (Section 3AA quarterfinals)
2008: Jackson County Central 24, Windom 17; Windom 18, Jackson County Central 13 (Section 3AA quarterfinals)
2009: Jackson County Central 17, Windom 0; Jackson County Central 30, Windom 3 (Section 3AA semifinals)
2010: Jackson County Central 29, Windom 0; Jackson County Central 42, Windom 0 (Section 3AA semifinals)
2011: Jackson County Central 46, Windom 0
2012: Jackson County Central 31, Windom 20; Jackson County Central 67, Windom 13 (Section 3AA quarterfinals)
2013: Jackson County Central 42, Windom 7
2014: Jackson County Central 33, Windom 0
2015: Jackson County Central 58, Windom 21
2016: Jackson County Central 49, Windom 13
2017: Jackson County Central 48, Windom 27
2018: Jackson County Central 51, Windom 0
2019: Jackson County Central 73, Windom 7
2020 – Jackson County Central 32, Windom 8
2021: Jackson County Central 50, Windom 6; Jackson County Central 58, Windom 6 (Section 3AA quarterfinals)
2022: Jackson County Central 48, Windom 6
No Redwood
For the first time as JCC, the Huskies will not play Redwood Valley in the regular season in 2025. Before that, Jackson High School had started playing Redwood Valley (or Redwood Falls) in the 1950s.
For postseason play, the Cardinals have moved to the northeast and will be one seven teams in Section 5AA. They’ll join Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City, Eden Valley-Watkins, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg, Kimball Area, Paynesville, and St. Cloud Cathedral.
The Huskies lead the series with Redwood 28-5 and have won seven straight dating back to 2021. They’ve played in the postseason four times with Jackson County Central leading that series 3-1.
Here are the scores in the Jackson County Central-Redwood Valley series:
1997: Jackson County Central 20, Redwood Valley 14
1998: Jackson County Central 49, Redwood Valley 0
1999: Jackson County Central 47, Redwood Valley 24
2000: Jackson County Central 38, Redwood Valley 0
2001: Redwood Valley 22, Jackson County Central 15
2002: Jackson County Central 34, Redwood Valley 30
2003: Jackson County Central 18, Redwood Valley 13; Redwood Valley 19, Jackson County Central 6 (Section 3AAA championship)
2004: Jackson County Central 31, Redwood Valley 28
2005: Jackson County Central 42, Redwood Valley 14
2006: Jackson County Central 31, Redwood Valley 13
2007: Jackson County Central 15, Redwood Valley 13
2008: Jackson County Central 35, Redwood Valley 13
2009: Jackson County Central 33, Redwood Valley 20
2010: Jackson County Central 46, Redwood Valley 6
2011: Jackson County Central 42, Redwood Valley 13
2012: Jackson County Central 49, Redwood Valley 28
2013: Jackson County Central 26, Redwood Valley 2
2014: Jackson County Central 41, Redwood Valley 12
2015: Jackson County Central 49, Redwood Valley 7
2016: Jackson County Central 35, Redwood Valley 7
2017: Jackson County Central 26, Redwood Valley 14
2018: Redwood Valley 7, Jackson County Central 0
2019: Jackson County Central 49, Redwood Valley 12
2020: Redwood Valley 28, Jackson County Central 14
2021: Jackson County Central 21, Redwood Valley 18; Jackson County Central 38, Redwood Valley 12 (Section 3AA semifinals)
2022: Jackson County Central 35, Redwood Valley 0; Jackson County Central 34, Redwood Valley 7 (Section AA semifinals)
2023: Jackson County Central 29, Redwood Valley 14; Jackson County Central 38, Redwood Valley 0 (Section 3AA championship)
2024: Jackson County Central 46, Redwood Valley 7
New opponent
JCC and Sibley East will meet in a regular-season game for the first time on Friday, Sept. 12 at Swearingen Field.
The Huskies and Wolverines have met in the Section 3AA playoffs four times, with three of those coming in a four-year stretch from 2015-2018.
JCC leads the series 4-0.
Here are the scores in the Jackson County Central-Sibley East series:
1998: Jackson County Central 61, Sibley East 12 (Section 3AAA quarterfinals)
2015: Jackson County Central 44, Sibley East 13 (Section 3AAA semifinals)
2016: Jackson County Central 42, Sibley East 14 (Section 3AAA semifinals)
2018: Jackson County Central 42, Sibley East 8 (Section 3AAA quarterfinals)
The schedule
Here’s the complete 2025 Jackson County Central regular-season football schedule. The all-time series between the schools is in parentheses, with JCC’s total listed first.
Friday, Aug. 29: at Maple River, 7 p.m. (5-3)
Friday, Sept. 5: Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial, 7 p.m. (6-0)
Friday, Sept. 12: Sibley East, 7 p.m. (4-0)
Friday, Sept. 19: at Pipestone, 7 p.m. (24-8)
Friday, Sept. 26: Minnesota Valley Lutheran, 7 p.m. (3-0)
Friday, Oct. 3: LeSueur-Henderson, 7 p.m. (6-1)
Thursday, Oct. 9: at Luverne, 7 p.m. (24-8)
Wednesday, Oct. 15: at Windom, 7 p.m. (28-4)